Peer Pressure among the youth

Almost everyone has been a victim of peer pressure some time in their life whether it is emotional, sexual or affiliated with gangs and drugs.

No matter the age or nationality, everyone has played a role in peer pressure. I want everyone to look them-selves in the mirror and ask themselves two questions. Am i the one pressuring my friends to do bad things or am I a victim of peer pressure? Peer pressure is your own decision.

Do you want to ditch school? Yes or No? No one can answer that for you, but yourself. Your friends may influence you to ditch school, but it is up to you to make that decision. I may be young but I can honestly say, i have experienced enough to be able to advice upcoming Ghanaian youth.

Peer Pressure is the act of peers influencing another peer into doing a deed.

The Youth play ”tug of war” with peer pressure everyday!

The question is; why do we fall into these traps? Maybe we don’t want to be labeled as the ”odd ball”, we don’t want to be laughed at, or we just want to fit in. My brothers and sisters, it is okay! It’s okay to say No! It’s okay to be the ”odd ball”. It’s okay to be the one everyone will make fun of.

Just remember, that at the end of the day, you will have to be the one to deal with the penalties. For instance, some teenagers become victims of peer Pressure in both Junior High Schools and Senior High Schools. They become followers and much less a leader, they follow the wrong crowd and do what everyone is doing and it makes them very proud, though it’s a shame.

These teen victims become very well known as being the ”menaces” of the school. For some too, it’s very hard for them to say no, just because they don’t want to feel odd among their peers. They might feel great to be with trouble makers and would like their peers to be afraid of them and as ridiculously as this may sound, they believe that was the best way to gain respect.

It’s such a shame. There are other victims of peer pressure who suffer under the influences of scandalous acts such as ”lesbianism and homosexuality.”

They end up living their life that way because they feel it has become part of their existence in life and they become fully addicted to it.
Once you get into such immoral acts, it’s quite difficult breaking out of it. I had my own share of peer pressure back in Senior High School and I must say, it was quite tough but I was strong enough to resist as quickly as I could and I also realised that at the end of the day, you are what you do and what you say and you will end up destroying your future and personality as well.

So No matter who is pressuring you in school, whether it’s your own peers, your school-mother, school-father or even your teachers, just be careful, be strong, be smart and resist with your intelligence that God has provided you.

It is okay to say NO! Start off by following your inside gut. If it feels right, do it, if you know it is wrong, do not do it, because at the end of the day, you will have to serve the consequence! I know what’s hot and what’s not in the Ghanaian society when it boils down to the teenagers, at least.

My main concern is the way our Ghanaian youth are separated and divided. We must all move forward together, we are all brothers and sisters; we must set a great example for one another.

I have some advice for the teenagers entering Junior High School and Senior High School;

Live life and have fun, don’t regret anything. In order to be successful you have to be able to overcome most of life’s struggles. Make sure you are ready to accept anything life may throw at you! Think positive, speak positive and remain positive.

Show respect to your teachers. You need to leave every class with a good impression. You never know who you will need in the future. You never know if your teacher will be the one to hire you for a job.

Be involved. Play sports or anything educational, you never know what scholarships you might receive. Join clubs, join organizations and keep yourself busy that way, you will stay out of trouble. The more activities you join, the better it will look on your resume.

Don’t rush into any relationships; don’t be such in a hurry to make friends. God brings people into our lives for reasons, some may come and go as a lesson and some may stay around as a blessing. God’s time is the best time. Please be patient and just wait!

Listen to your parents. As teens, we sometimes find ourselves trying to correct our parents. Truth be told, our parents only want the best for us, there is a reason why they are sometimes strict. Our parents don’t want to see us walk down the wrong path. It would be a blessing to see more Ghanaian doctors, journalists, artists, nurses, and teachers and in every other good careers out there. That is what the ”teenagers” dreams are suppose to be, about being good future leaders in the nation and making Ghana, our motherland a better place to live in. We all have a dream and our dreams will come true!

Say No to peer pressure! It’s not too late; you can always avoid being a victim. Do what you want, if it makes you feel good. Just be smart!

With Society being the way it is and being exposed to many in school, it really is a challenge understand, but if stand firm to be disciplined and you know your worth, you can do it and you will be glad you succeeded in becoming a responsible youth.